Milford Woman Escapes Fire With Her Life -- and Her Dog

A Milford woman escaped a fire in her Riverside Drive home with her life -- and her dog -- this afternoon.

The fire was apparently caused by a candle.

Teary-eyed Julie Mackenzie, 57, a nurse, said she was doing laundry in the lower level of the blue ranch at 150 Riverside Drive when she heard a noise -- and went upstairs to investigate around 2 p.m.

"I heard a noise, came upstairs, saw the smoke, grabbed the fire extinguisher, but it was too late," she said.

"I dialed 911, put on my boots and jacket, and ran out the back door," she said.

But not before grabbing Barney, her beloved 6-year-old Chihuana-Dachshund-Beagle mix rescue pooch.

"I was able to get the dog out," she said.

Does she consider herself lucky to have been home at the time?

"If I wasn't home, I wouldn't have lit a candle in the bedroom," she said, remorsefully.

The candle was in a glass jar on a dresser, according to Mackenzie. She said she has no idea how it may have set the house afire.

"It wasn't near the curtain. It was in a jar," she said.

Mackenzie and her husband, Niles Mackenzie, 59, a Home Depot salesman who was at work when the fire broke out, watched as firefighters pushed charred debris outside their home.

Although they had a smoke detector, Julie Mackenzie conceded they hadn't changed the batteries recently.

Fire Capt. Christopher Zak reminded residents to change the batteries of their smoke detectors twice a year -- when they change their clocks forward or back for Daylight Savings Time.

Four engine companies, a ladder rescue and a shift commander responded to the blaze and managed to knock it down quickly without injuries, Zak said. The fire marshal is investigating the cause, he said.

The Red Cross is working with the family to find the shelter for this evening, according to Zak.

 The Mackenzies have called the three-bedroom house home for more than 30 years.

"I raised three kids in that house," Julie Mackenzie said sadly.